Mazda Compact Crossover Officially Badged CX-5

The Mazda Minagi concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show will be known as the Mazda CX-5 when it appears in production form this fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The name aligns with Mazda's two other crossovers, the CX-7 and CX-9, and also recalls the iconic MX-5 roadster.

The CX-5, like the concept that previewed it, is the first production Mazda to follow the new "Kodo" corporate design language. Gone is the smiley-face front fascia styling of many current Mazda products, to be replaced by crisper, tauter lines. Mazda plans to launch the CX-5 globally in 2012, possibly for model-year 2013.

The CX-5 will employ Mazda's new Skyactiv technologies, headlined by downsized, direct-injection engines that should be much more fuel-efficient than their predecessors. The Skyactiv technologies also encompass a new breed of transmissions, which are said to be more responsive and fuel-efficient, as well as advanced chassis and body designs that will be stronger yet lighter than current designs. The tech debuts in the U.S. with the 2012 Mazda 3 this fall.